Page 19 of The Devil's Daughter

“Good god, you are your father’s daughter,” he mutters. “No wonder the twins are so smitten. You’re relentless.”

“They aren’t smitten; they’re just friends. But you’re right. I don’t like being told no. Hazard of being the youngest child, I guess.”

I reach for his waistband and tug at the drawstring. His shorts are bulging at the front, a detail I’m fascinated by, but pretend not to notice. This is the most recklessly forward I’ve been in my entire life, but somehow these events have fallen into place so perfectly, I’m not willing to question the turn my night has taken.

If we wind up having sex, that’s what’s meant to happen. He doesn’t need to know it’ll be a first for me, and I doubt he’ll even notice I’m a virgin if we do it—I hope. I may be inexperienced with a partner, but I’m more than acquainted with my body’s limits, and I’ve experimented enough to know what I can endure. Having arealcock inside me can’t be that different from a silicone one, right?

He grabs my hand and hisses. “Not so fast, eager girl. Let’s take this inside first so you don’t freeze. You’re covered in goosebumps.”

He crowds me toward the opposite wall, a wicked smile playing at the corners of his lips. I move, breathless as he starts to swing the door closed, but then a scream so agonized it makes my bones hurt shatters the tension between us.

9

Elle

“Oh my god, is that Ben?”I’m halfway out the door when Drake curses and pushes past me, breaking into a jog until he reaches Ben’s door.

He doesn’t even knock—he just barges into the room, the low light from the corridor enough to illuminate the violently flailing body on the queen-sized bed in the middle of the room. Ben’s naked, his dark tattoos twisting like shadows over his muscular torso as whatever nightmare he’s having grips him in a spasm of utter agony. The air shatters with another yell as Drake moves into the room.

“Ben, wake up,” he demands, switching on the bedside lamp. “It’s just a dream.” He motions for me to enter and I follow him, closing the door behind us so hopefully the staff isn’t disturbed by the noise.

Ben’s covers are tangled around his legs, his torso gleaming with a sheen of sweat. He groans incoherently, twisting his head from side to side.

Drake crouches by the bed and reaches out, grabbing Ben by the shoulder. Ben shouts and lurches up, smacking at Drake’s hand and opening his eyes wide.

Drake rears back, narrowly missing getting punched in the face again, but holds his ground and reaches out once more. “Hey, buddy. We’re here. It was just a dream, okay? You’re all right.”

Ben stares straight at me, blinking in confusion. “Ellie? What—” He turns to Drake and his eyebrows draw together, then he squints at me again. “What’re you doing in my room? Why are you in a towel?” Then he vigorously shakes his head and coughs out a pitiful sob.

“Oh, Benny. What’s wrong?” I dart to the bed and climb on, scoot toward him on my knees, and wrap my arms around him sideways.

“Couldn’t stop it. Can’t ever stop it…” he babbles through tears as he clings to me. I urge him to the bed and lie down, curling around his back like the big spoon even though he’s got at least seventy-five pounds on me, and most of it is solid muscle.

“Can’t stop what?” Drake asks. “Talk it out. Tell us what’s going on.” He rises and glances around the room, then starts to reach for the chair by the desk, but Ben grabs him by the hand.

“Don’t go, please,” he says, tugging harder so Drake has no choice but to climb onto the bed.

“Okay, we’re doing this, I guess,” Drake says, carefully lying on his side facing Ben. “You gonna talk?”

Ben just curls into himself, clinging to Drake’s hands, then buries his face against Drake’s shoulder, body shaking with sobs.

I give Drake a wide-eyed look. He’s grim-faced as he leans in and wraps an arm around Ben’s shoulders.

“We’ve got you. Everything’s going to be okay,” Drake says, sliding his hand across Ben’s shoulder and back. The edge of his hand grazes the tops of my breasts, and my breath hitches. He holds my gaze for a second before his eyes trace the line of my bare shoulder. He lifts his hand from Ben’s upper arm and ghosts his fingertips down my bicep, following the line all the way around to where my elbow crooks over Ben’s side. It’s a gentle, tender caress, but the sensation sends a hot jolt of desire through me. He stops at my elbow, only to repeat the process with Ben’s arm.

The action seems to stall Ben’s crying, and his big body shifts and shudders. He twists his head, the dark line of the rose tattooed on his neck flexing before my eyes as he watches Drake’s hand.

“Is this okay?” Drake asks, his voice thick with the same need that filled it when we were standing in his doorway mere moments ago. He runs the flat of his palm back up Ben’s arm and pauses with his hand resting at Ben’s neck.

I can’t see Ben’s face, but the coiled tension in his body seems to release as he nods. He extracts a hand from between him and Drake and slowly slips it back until he finds my hip.

“Are you really there, Elle?”

“I’m here, Benny. I’m not going anywhere.”

He sighs again and moves his hand, this time resting it on Drake’s hip. His body seems to undulate the slightest amount from hips to shoulders. This time the sigh he lets out ends with a needy groan, and he grabs my hand where it’s planted against his belly and pulls it lower.

The next thing I know, my palm is nudging his erection, burned by searing hot, silken skin and hard flesh. A heat just as pronounced swells between my thighs as I relent to his urging and wrap my hand around his hard length.

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