Page 15 of Downfall

I know he’s teasing me—I’m usually in the store every few days asking him to find me something rare—but there’s concern in his eyes. Vince and my mom were great friends before she died; she brought me into the store with her all the time.

“I’m good. I just started my new job, so I’ve been busier during the week. I don’t even have any new projects for you because I haven’t had the time to even listen to music, let alone research it,” I tell him. “How are you?”

“Oh, you know me. Just living life.”

Kolson moves closer as we speak, and when he is right behind me, I turn to him. “Vince, this is Kolson. He’s, um, a friend of mine.”

Grabbing Kolson’s hand in a vise grip, Vince nods once, meeting Kolson’s eye in challenge. “Nice to meet you.”

“You, too,” Kolson says, shaking Vince’s hand without so much as a wince.

“Well,” I say to Vince, ready to end the little stare-off happening, “I’ll just grab that record and we’ll be on our way. I just wanted to stop by after brunch.”

Vince lets go of Kolson’s hand, holding his glare for another moment before heading toward the front desk. I follow, pulling my wallet out of my purse, but Kolson grabs my wrist as we get to the front of the store.

“Let me buy it for you.” I roll my eyes at him and he smirks, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet.

“Records aren’t cheap,” I tell him. “I can get it.”

“No.” And I roll my eyes harder.

After we say goodbye to Vince, Kolson grabs my hand, lacing his fingers with mine as we leave the store. I’m sure Vince saw it, and I’m sure Kolson wanted him to.

I’m still unsure how I feel about Viv’s revelation today, and although his hand is in mine, his shoulders are rigid. Almost like he’s feeling the weight of it, too.

I keep my record collection and small vintage record player in a huge oak cabinet in the living room. It’s almost filled, and if I ever move out of this place, the cabinet will need to be taken apart to fit through the door.

Standing between the open doors of the cabinet, which takes up most of the wall to the left of my bedroom door, Kolson flips through my collection. I set one of my new records on the old turntable, starting the first song with a scratch and pop, then settle in on the couch, hugging my knees as I watch Kolson.

“Your collection is pretty extensive. How long have you been collecting?” he asks, clearly impressed.

“About a quarter of them were my mom’s, and when she died, I continued. That store was her favorite to visit whenever we came into the city. I’ve been going there since I can remember. The owner, Vince, has known me since I was in diapers, and he can get anything.”

He comes over to join me on the couch, turning me so my back is against the armrest and my legs are across his lap. Staring into my eyes, he rubs my denim-covered legs in small circles, starting with my ankles and working upward. He seems off, somehow, like something has him on edge. I’ve been avoiding talking to him aboutussince we left Samsara earlier this afternoon, but if he has something to say, we should get it out in the open.

“Are you okay, demon?” I ask, watching his face to see if he gives me any indication of his current mood.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Maybe just tired from not sleeping much last night,” he says with a suggestive smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

Reaching my waistband with his wandering hands, he unbuttons my jeans, and I lift my hips to help him pull them and my thong off. He peels off my tank top next, followed by my bra. His jeans are rough under my bare pussy when he pulls me over to straddle him, and sitting on him while he’s fully clothed and I’m naked feels wrong in all the right ways.

I link my hands behind his neck, playing with the ends of his blonde hair and pulling him into a heated kiss. His tongue pushes against the seam of my lips as I grind on him, seeking friction against the denim covering his erection. He is hard as stone, and I can feel every aching inch of him through his jeans.

Reaching down, I unbutton his jeans, intending to free his cock from his pants. And as I reach for his zipper, he lifts his shirt, only breaking our kiss for the second it takes to pull it over his head. I take his cock in my hand, stroking and teasing the head, but it’s not enough; I need to feel him inside me.

“Take off your pants, demon. I need you,” I whisper against his mouth.

He groans and lifts his hips to push his pants and boxers over his ass, as I lick and suck my way across his jaw. Grinding down on his now bare dick, I coat him in my arousal, making us both groan.

Wrapping my long hair around his fist, he yanks up, forcing me to my knees to hover over him. Positioning the head of his cock against my slick folds, he pulls down on my hair as he drives his hips up, seating himself fully in one thrust.

I rest my hands on his shoulders, using him as leverage as I set a frenzied pace, but Kolson stops me with his hands at my hips.

When I snap my eyes to his, confusion washing through me, he plants his lips on mine. He kisses me with a gentle passion; the type of kiss that almost brings you to tears with the obvious emotion pouring through it. And my confusion only grows.

Continuing our kiss, he rocks me back and forth on his lap, the measured movements causing the pressure in my belly to grow at a languid pace. He swallows my moans and whimpers as he keeps our momentum steady, his tongue working against mine.

My orgasm builds, a low fire growing higher and higher as I roll my hips, but when I try to move faster, fall harder, he stops me again, grabbing my wrists and holding them together at the base of my spine as he keeps control.

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