Page 67 of As Thick As Thieves

“I’ll always protect you.”

I went to speak, but he consumed me with a kiss, the cold water lapping at my skin as he set me on fire. I wrapped my legs around his waist as his hands slid down to my ass, keeping me close as I kissed him back.

“We can’t fuck here,” I groaned, pulling away to glance towards the beach where the elderly couple still sat, noticing a few other people walking along the beach further along. “We have an audience.”

“You love an audience,” he teased.

“Yeah, but only your friends because they can fuck me too,” I deadpanned, his dick jerking against me.

“We are so having a gangbang.”

“Good luck convincing Knox to rub balls with Cruz,” I chuckled, swimming backwards away from him to float along the surface.

“Tell me about your sister,” he said randomly, and I hesitated before replying.

“Emily was my best friend. She’s the reason I learned to sneak out, she taught me how she did it. She loved bad boys.” I paused, laughing lightly. “She’d probably high five me for bagging you guys. Either that or beat me up to keep you all to herself.”

“Where’s she buried? I’ll take you to see her,” he offered, my mouth curving into a soft smile.

“Kingslake Cemetery. Dad never liked it when we went to see her, so he stopped taking me.”

It was quiet for a few minutes before Drake spoke. “I had shit foster parents. The crazy religious kind who only helped kids to make themselves look good. I was practically just a slave for them. I did all the cleaning and had to learn to cook to avoid getting my ass beat.”

“When did you get out?”

“When I got locked up at sixteen. Set their house on fire,” he smirked, but I could see the sadness he hid behind the humor. “Their god dealt with them a month later. Car accident, very messy.”

“And then you met the guys in juvie?”

“I’d already been in there for a year when Knox got his ass thrown in for carjacking. Cruz was never supposed to see the light of day again when he was convicted, but Ezekiel got him out alongside Knox. He came back for me after Knox told him how I easily escaped my cell to sneak around at night. I guess I seemed like a good investment,” he laughed. “Stone was always in and out, but it was just to scout out potential thieves. He’d be in there for a month or two, then vanish, then a few months later, he’d be back. His brother had a lot of pull with the warden. I think he blackmailed him, but I’m not sure. I never asked.”

I swam towards him, my voice quiet. “What happened to your real parents?”

“Overdose. I was born addicted to heroin if that tells you how loving they were,” he said casually, giving me a small smile. “I know your dad’s a piece of shit, but what about your mom? I know she took off, but what was she like?”

“She wasn’t maternal at all. I honestly hardly knew her, she didn’t spend much time with me. Estelle raised me, not Mom,” I said dryly, accepting his hand as he pulled me closer as I shivered.

“Let’s get out and get warm,” he murmured, and I hadn’t even noticed how cold I was.

We walked hand in hand back to the car to grab towels, then we headed to our spot on the rocks to sit and watch the view in the sun to dry off.

“Mom never wanted us,” I said as if we’d never stopped the conversation, resting my chin on my knees. “She only did it because it’s what rich families do.”

“I don’t know anything about being a parent, but I know what not to do,” Drake grunted, laying back to close his eyes. “I’m surprised all of us turned out to be good people thanks to our awful upbringing.”

“Who said anything about us turning out to be good? I’m a damaged brat and you’re a professional thief,” I pointed out, earning a grin from him.

“You’re hardly a brat.”

“Ask Knox, he’ll tell you,” I giggled, squealing as he pulled me down beside him and wrapped his arms around me. “Hey!”

“It’s cute when you act like you don’t want my hands on you but then make no attempt to escape,” he mumbled into my neck as he kissed across my skin, his hand slipping between us to dip into my shorts. I gasped as he didn’t hesitate to push a finger inside me, his teeth grazing my neck as he chuckled. I ground against his hand, running my fingers through his hair to jerk his head back so I could kiss him.

Sex with Drake was always spontaneous, and I fucking loved it.

“Ride me,” he whispered against my lips, waiting for me to nod before pulling back from me to remove his shorts and shirt, leaving the wet material on the rocks beside us. I pulled my shirt off but left my bra on, kicking my shorts and underwear off before straddling his lap. “Dammit, my wallet’s in the car.”

“You keep fucking me without a condom anyway, don’t worry about it,” I huffed, not wanting him to move, and he raised an eyebrow.

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