He was moving with her through the darkness, Laurel’s arms clutched around his neck and shoulders, her legs wrapped around his waist, her face planted on his. Even if it hadn’t been so dark, he still wouldn’t have been able to see Laurel’s surroundings. He was too busy kissing her, and bumping lightly into walls and doorways on his way through the apartment.

“In there,” she said after peeling her lips away and nodding her head in the direction of a darkened room. “There.”

Matthias carried her through the doorway, her leg brushing against the frame. And right before her face returned to his with another long, deep kiss, he saw into her room, a glowing shard of orange from a nearby street light spilling across a bed. She wasn’t lying. There actually was a bed. And now he was in it, dropping his knee onto the mattress and gently lowering her body while keeping his lips in contact with hers. His belt buckle clanked again, and then her hands slipped under the stiff denim. During their quick trip from kitchen to bedroom he only got harder, and now there was a sense of urgency, of needing more than just her hand. And for that, he’d need her to be wearing a lot less clothes. Matthias started with the buttons of her shirt, feeling his pulse quicken at each new revealing of skin. First her collar bone, and then the milky smooth tops of her breasts, the light from outside making her skin glisten in that soft orange hue. She’d been busy, too, sliding his jeans over and off his ass and then immediately plunging her hand inside his boxers, grabbing a firm hold of it before leaving him pointing up over the waistband while her hand began working on her own clothes. She started unbuttoning, unzipping, and after her shirt had been spread open, Matthias grabbed hold of her pants and peeled them off. He was immediately drawn in, his head diving low against the mattress to her core. He needed a better angle. Wrapping his arms around her thighs, he pulled her toward the end of the bed, then knelt before her on the floor. A loan groan spilled from Laurel’s lips when she realized his intentions.

It really wasn’t how he’d imagined his night wrapping up, between a girl’s legs, some southern cutie he’d met in the bar. But it felt a little more meaningful than that, their current late-night romp a little more sincere than just some random hookup. In his short time with this woman, Matthias had felt an attraction well beyond the physical—beyond the fact that she was exactly his type, a busty girl with an hourglass figure, nice juicy ass and thighs—but aside from all that, he’d come to understand her, and sympathize with her. She’d obviously needed help tonight with Jason, and Matthias was only too glad to pound his face in. But the more time he’d spent talking with Laurel, the more he realized that he might need her help, too.

He could use her help tonight, in this moment. He could use that kind of help badly. But there was something else. A more thorough kind of help she’d offered in her smile, and how she’d listened to him—truly listened. The way she’d laugh and then place her hand to his chest. And even her apartment, as curiously empty it was, felt inviting to him. It felt as open as she was, as ready for a change. Ready for him and his life. They were both were equally desperate for it. Both equally empty. Damaged, even. He knew he was.

Laurel’s hands had been holding his head against her, her fingers now pressing hard, curling and kneading into his hair like cat claws. It seemed like she needed his help too, especially at this moment, his tongue lapping into her and causing her body to writhe uncontrollably on the bed. She might have been saying something, a groany, grunting voice, but he was in too deep to hear, too busy with his work between her legs, his tongue now working back and forth on her clit until the voice went away. There wasn’t anything left to say, Matthias made sure of that, making Laurel go limp now, the grunting turning into a hard, open-mouthed panting. No words were needed. No explanations, either, for how he’d ended up in some stranger’s apartment, her warm juices smeared across his face. And now with her hips rolling against him, her body shuddering under his work, her knees locking tight around his head. Her strong thighs squeezing, holding his head in place. He reveled in the sweet trap. And by her increasingly loud and almost painful-sounding breathing, she loved trapping him there. Matthias moaned into her, pushing his tongue inside, feeling her heat, her pulsing core, and then her body shaking one last time before Laurel reached down to push him away.

He almost wanted to laugh, the way she just tossed him aside so abruptly, especially with how serious her expression was. More than serious, it almost looked like she was in a panic, holding his head away from her and closing her legs tight as she cried out in ecstasy. She returned to him a moment later, after having caught her breath. She looked flushed and completely spent. Almost sleepy. But satisfied, evidenced by the glow of her teeth in that big smile of hers.

“I so needed that,” she said. “You don’t even know.”

“Oh, I know.”

“Do you?”

He needed it just as badly, his erection still thick and pressing against her back as he came in close to spoon her. She reached down for it, thumbing over the tip, stroking him.

And he collapsed with her touch. “Mmmm.”

“I guess you do know,” she said, running her hand down to hold his swollen balls. “You’re such a big boy,” she said, returning to his shaft. “And you worked so hard for me. And worked so well.” She held him back with her hand, pushing his chest down to the mattress. She laid him out flat and then crept down on her knees to his erect cock.

Matthias laid back and took a deep breath. It was time to stop thinking about how the hell his night had ended up like this and just feel. He closed his eyes as her mouth took him in. No hand, just pure wet, warm mouth, a gentle sucking pressure as she worked his head and then her lips gliding down to his base, almost taking it all.

He flopped his head back, breathing harder, and then groaning. “Fuck.” He felt himself melt into a puddle, his mind dissolving away. Thoughts and memories disappearing as he disappeared in her, her hot mouth sucking and squeezing his throbbing cock. But he could only take so much, and he wanted to be inside her when he came. Laurel seemed to pick up on it, perhaps reading his body language, the signals, her hand on his abs as he flexed, his breathing turning into little whimperings. He was ready. Was she?

She stopped for a moment, catching her breath, letting her hand take over. Matthias wrapped his hand around hers, taking over and then drawing hers away from his cock. He gently pulled her toward him, up his torso. She climbed onto him, her warm weight making him groan again. God, he loved the feel of her smooth skin, her breasts gliding against his chest, her hardened nipples rubbing against him. She reached down and grabbed hold of him one last time, to direct him home. The tip of him rubbed against her core. So wet. So ready.

Matthias tried raising his hips, wanting so badly to enter, needing penetration more now than ever. But she held him away and made a tsk-tsk sound. “Bad boy.” Laurel brought him back, allowing him once again to come so close to what he wanted so badly. And then using him, rubbing her slippery clit and then back down to her opening, almost allowing him in, just putting the slightest pressure so that he felt the very faintest beginnings of that most glorious moment.

And then she pulled him away again, working him again over her clit, groaning.

It was fucking killing him.

How much longer would she do this for? And how much more would he have to obey? It was so hard not to push up into her. He fought the urge with every breath. But he couldn’t. And he tried again to slide into her, but she swiftly stopped his progress, this time giggling while she sat on him, on his cock, trapping him.

“You’re killing me.”

“Good,” she said. “I want to kill you a little bit before you kill me.”

“Kill you?”

“I want it rough,” she said, the words instantaneously making his cock twitch and pulsate. “Once I give over control to you, that’s it. I want you to take it hard and rough, okay?”

“Okay,” Matthias could barely say it.

“So behave yourself,” she said, grinding her hips on him, sliding her wet lips up and down his shaft.

Matthias instinctively moved his hips, trying to aim himself again, but she caught him. “Not yet.” She glided up and down him again, his cock now firmly between her lips and pressed hard against the weight of her body. And for a moment, he was satisfied. It felt almost as good as what he’d imagined the real thing to be like. She was rubbing faster now, grinding as she fell onto him, hands feeling up his chest, her hungry mouth sucking at his. Her tongue ran wild, sliding into his mouth. She groaned a little into him, and then her hips held in place. She moved back from a kiss and smiled at him.

“Having fun yet?”

“Please,” Matthias whimpered. “Please . . .

It was all he could do, begging for it. He had nothing sexy or witty to say, no play-acting, only the raw desire which ate away at his mental faculties, eroding any sensible thought, any communication beyond one-word, one-syllable pleading sounds.

“Please what?” she said. “That doesn’t sound like a man who wants it.”

“Want it . . . I want it.”

She had his tip sliding closer and closer.

“You gonna show me how bad?”

“Yeah.”

“You ready?”

He almost whimpered.

Matthias felt her hips tilting up and finally allowed him to slip inside her and he was already pumping hard, from the bottom, his hips pushing into her with a frenetic force. She pushed back against him, arching her back and changing the angle in a way that made his eyes cross. Working himself in and out of her was the most exquisite sensation that he’d ever had, the way her body clamped onto him so snugly and perfectly. He felt more of himself drifting away, more of his consciousness dissolving as he became a mess of sensations.

Finally, he was having his fun, from the bottom, but he needed more control. He needed more flexibility and range to do what he craved in that moment.

Matthias scooted out from under Laurel, spinning her over, him on top now and working harder, spreading her legs wider and thrusting deep into her core. Laurel was grunting with him, taking the pressure, the pounding. He was knocking into her as hard as she’d wanted. It was part of their agreement, his reward for having a bit of patience. That little task was perhaps the hardest thing he’d ever done, assignments with DARC Ops included. And thank God that it was over, that he’d no longer have to show such restraint, and thank God that it was exactly what Laurel wanted, his unbridled lust to come raging back into her.

She’d been very quiet with his work, the two of them concentrating quietly, almost solemnly. No words. He was back on top of her, his mouth on her neck, feeling her breathing, tasting her sweat. It took a few moments to realize that she’d already dug into his back with her nails, likely leaving long red streaks up and down. Likely bleeding. The pain of her nails was exhilarating, that mix of pain and pleasure. She was probably feeling something similar, the way Matthias was working so hard into her. He’d mix it up, from soft and hard, going down to kiss her, or to suck on her breasts, before backing away and leaning back and just completely killing her exactly how she’d wanted to be killed.