Page 51 of Heartless Legacy

“But what?”

“I can’t deal with being manhandled right now. Or having any weight on top of me. I can’t be confined, so maybe, don’t lie on top of me.”

I settle into my corner of the couch. “You’re in control here, and we can do or not do whatever you want.”

The first thing she does is shift closer and crawl into my lap. “Can you just touch me? Over the top of my clothes. I don’t like skin to skin contact. It reminds me of the hands brushing over me when they attached the electrodes, and grabbing me triggers my fight response.”

Holding my hands up, I say, “How about you put my hands where you want them, and control the pressure? Show me how you want to be touched.”

She places my hands on her hips and says, “I just want to kiss you.”

“Kiss away, Sweetness.”

She does. Small tentative pecks. I tamp down the urge to take control, letting her set the pace and intensity. It’s in stark contrast to the way she used to kiss me. Like she’s new at it. It’s hot, letting her discover what she can handle and working through what feels right.

She tastes like strawberries and the whipped cream she drenched them in. The slightest hint of caramel flavored coffee on her breath. Her hands move to the top of my shoulders, then slowly around my neck as she toys with the ends of my hair. I adjust my legs, spreading them wider, and she settles deeper into my lap.

“Can you get yourself off on me like this? Just kissing me and rubbing against my cock? Because all I want right now is to hear and watch you cum.”

She shifts against me. I groan as her ass brushes against my erection. I’ve been so focused on finding her all these months that I haven’t bothered trying to find relief. What good would fantasizing about her, and reminding myself of what I was missing have done me? But now, everything is fighting for recognition. My body vibrates with need. Craving her touch.

She breaks our kiss, eyes open, watching me. “That’s it. Look at me. Stay grounded in this moment with me. I’m here. I’m here and you are doing so damn good.”

Her hold on my hair increases as she rocks against me. She’s pulling hard enough to make my scalp sting. “You can’t see it, Thea, but my tip is leaking. I can barely hold back from cumming like an inexperienced teenager. That’s what you’re doing to me. Making me feel like it’s my first time with a woman.”

She grunts and kisses me again, sucking my tongue into her mouth. I swallow her next moan and the next. I want to thrust up against her, but I don’t, and I keep my hands where she put them. Thea needs control right now, and I’m happy to give it to her.

She pulls away again, panting, and slowly climbs off my lap. “You okay?”

“I think. I think that’s enough. I’m sorry, I can’t. I really want to, but there’s a block in my brain and I can’t get around it.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Thea. There’s no rush.” I climb to my feet, grabbing my key off the table.

“You’re leaving?”

“I don’t want to sit here with you side-eyeing my hard cock and feeling like you’ve disappointed me when you haven’t. So, I’m going for a long walk around the neighborhood, then for aworkout in the gym, followed by an ice bath. By the time I’m done, I’ll be too tired and cold to be horny.”

“Wolfe.”

“I promise I’m not upset with you. I would never be upset about this. We can try again, any time you want.” I lean down and kiss her cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

Chapter 33

Thea

We’ve been going around in circles for hours. No matter what options Ryker, the head of the logistics team, suggests, Alexz keeps coming up with reasons to say no. Right now, he’s shaking his head and using my trauma as an excuse for why I need to stay here longer.

“Don’t tell me she’ll be fine, when the reason I had to bring her here is that shewasn’tfine. Do I need to remind any of you that The League of the Daggered Ravens had her locked up for attempted murder, and shoved in the violent offender ward of Rockridge Psychiatric Facility, to be used as an incubator?”

Alexz has a way with words. He can be poetically eloquent or violently crass. No matter which way he delivers it, what he’s just said is true. I feel Wolfe’s gaze on me as Alexz continues. “But before we could get to her, someone moved her. It took us weeks to track Thea down to what amounted to an off-grid hospital that was a cover for a mob-run auction house.” He stabs the table and bellows, “Auction. House.”

My jaw clenches at the words.

“We all know what happens in those places. The victims are sold to the highest bidders, but the greedy bastard didn’t sell her.No. He came up with a new pricing model with a very long trialperiod. People got to pay and play with her before deciding if she was worth an even bigger investment. She wasn’t in a good place, mentally or physically, by the time we rescued her, so no! I don’t think she’ll be just finewalking back into Canyon Falls without an airtight backstory in place.”

Looking to Wolfe, he says, “They think she ran away, and playing into that narrative puts a league target on her back. It also gives Malcolm another chance to take a run at her. We need a story that he can’t refute without implicating himself.”

“Tell them I was in jail.” Eight sets of eyes swing my way. Ignoring the look of horror on assistant Number Two’s face, I say, “First of all, I’m insulted that you all think I can’t lie effectively. Icanlie. I’m just very selective about doing it. But if you need a backstory, that’s easy to sell and puts Malcolm on the defensive, then we go with the truth. I was arrested in Palm Springs during my challenge.”

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